The Lion and The Wolf
by Normryl
Summary: What happened to Daryl and Merle to pull the brothers into such different people? This is the Dixon brothers back story. Part two, chapter one now up.
1. Part One- Chapter One

**Title: **_**The Lion and The Wolf**_  
**Summary: **What happened to Daryl and Merle to pull the brothers into such different people.  
**Notes: **This story is a back story for the Dixon brothers. It's going to have maybe 3-4 parts and each part will contain several chapters too them.  
This first part has three chapters. I'm going to hold off until the third season is over to continue, just because if there are any other bits about Daryl and Merle's past they throw in there, I'd hope to make it work, but I don't think they'll take it much before their Mother's death.  
The title is the title of the song _'The Lion and The Wolf' _by Thrice.

* * *

_'The Wolf he howls, the Lion does roar, the Wolf lets him in. _

_The Lion runs in through the door the real fun begins._

_As they both rush upon you and rip open your flesh. _

_The Lion eats his fill and then the Wolf cleans up the mess._

* * *

**Part 1. Dixon's Don't Play Well With Others**

* * *

Daryl Dixon's earliest memory was in this house.

A cold evening spent huddled with his brother as their parents and Grandpa were fussing over Grandpa's dog. The dog never had a name. Grandpa just called her 'Girl'.  
Daryl didn't really know what was happening, not until he and Merle were beckoned over and he saw them. His real first memory.  
His Mummmy crying as she looked at those tiny little pups, pinkish and blind and making a funny little noise as they wriggled around and their Mother washing them with her pink tongue.  
And Daryl couldn't quite work it out straight away, that they were baby dogs. He watched as Merle reached out to touch one and his Daddy slapped his hand away, told him not to touch them. Grandpa told Daddy off for that and things got a little hazy, the moment broken and he and Merle were sent into a different room as the two men argued with one another.

That seemed like such a long time ago, but maybe it was a couple of years, Daryl wasn't certain.  
The puppies had gone to different homes and Grandpa was dead.  
He and Merle hadn't gone to the funeral, they'd stayed home with their Daddy while their Mummy barely stopped crying for days leading up to it.  
And afterwards, they packed up their things and before they knew it, they were stood outside this new house.  
It was better than their old home and in the new house he and Merle would get their own rooms. He didn't mind sharing with Merle, but having his own room appealed a lot to Daryl.

The move had felt like some kind of exciting adventure but it didn't turn out like he had expected.

Mummy was sad a lot. And Daryl stopped remembering how she used to be. That brief period in his life where she was happy.

She became sad. Depressed over her Father's death, haunted by it and living in the house where he'd died, she became a different person.

Daddy had always been angry and short tempered. He'd tell their Mummy to get over it, pull herself together and occasionally he'd hear the crack of skin on skin when Daddy struck her filled the house, but nothing changed.

There was a nice woman who lived in the house across the street. Shirley.

She had a boy, Martin, and she welcomed the Dixon's. When they first came to the house, Mummy used to walk Daryl and Merle to their new school and Shirley and Martin started to join them on their walks.

Martin was a few months older than Daryl and was in a different year in school, but he was closer to Daryl's age than Merle's and Daryl remembered the excitement that filled him when Shirley suggested the boys play together after school.  
She was trying to give their Mummy a break from the boys, trying to reach out. Daryl watched with hopeful eyes as his Mummy nodded her head, consenting to plan.

Daryl and Merle were allowed to play in Martin's house with his toys and it was normal. Nice.

But Merle got bored, being older and he didn't want to go as often as Daryl did.

Daryl remembered a hot summer's evening a few months later.

Mummy had stopped walking them to school. Merle would go on his own and Shirley would walk Daryl and Martin. Shirley talked to the boys about some exciting plans for that evening.

One of Martin's friends who lived a few streets down was coming over with his brother. Martin asked if they were allowed to play hide and seek and the smile that came on Shirley's face told Daryl that this was something special.

The whole walk to school Martin told Daryl about the year before, how they'd played hide and seek on his birthday outside and it was the best day.

Daryl's mind filled with places he could hide as he sat in his classes that day and his walk home was quicker than ever.

He told his Mummy about it as they had dinner. She looked at his Daddy and told Daryl to take Merle too. The rest of the meal was eaten in silence, with Daryl barely noticing the tension between his parents.  
Daryl didn't know Martin's friends. They were both older than him. Jacob was in the same classes as Martin and Bobby was a year older than both of them.

While Daryl went with excitement, Merle didn't want to go. Not at all. Bobby tried to get Merle to be the seeker in the first game but Merle refused, saying he wasn't playing any kids games, so Daryl was nominated. He nodded his head eagerly and they told him to count to 50 before he came looking for them.

Daryl nodded as he closed his eyes and the boys darted off.

Merle watched his little brother, shaking his head at the boys naivety to what was happening around him. Merle knew Daryl didn't see anything the way he did.  
Daryl was still a kid, was still living in that world. He hadn't really noticed what was happening at home yet.  
Hadn't noticed the changes in their Mum and Dad. Hadn't seen the bruises and bottles that littered her body and the bins in the house.

Merle knew he needed to show Daryl what the real world was all about because no one else cared if he saw things how they really were.

So while Daryl carried on counting, Merle slipped away himself.

Got lost in the shadows and followed the other kids as they ran. They were going towards the woods near the houses. They had somewhere they were heading, Merle knew that with certainty and as he followed, he watched as they went to a little den they'd made themselves in the woods. It looked obvious enough to him but he didn't think Daryl would notice it. Not the way he was running about, not the way he was looking at things. Because this was a big game to him.

The three boys had all crept into their den. It was part of a fallen tree and the boys had managed to camouflage it pretty well. Merle moved over towards it and stayed out of their sight but within earshot.

"Does he know about this place, Martin?" one of the boys asked.

"'Course not." Martin replied.

"Think he'll find us?"

"I don't think so. Mum always makes me play with him but we always play indoors. Don't wanna be seen out with him," Martin said, as all three boys giggled together.

Merle felt his anger rise but he knew the burden of being stuck with Daryl. Still, this was his brother they were talking about. And it was his job to look after him.

"Why you gotta play with him all the time anyway?"

"Dunno. Dad says that his Mum's going crazy and their Dad's some deadbeat and she feels sorry for him or some shit,"

Merle kicked up the dirt sending a spray of leaves and soil across the entrance of the den. "Come out, come out wherever you are?" Merle sang mockingly.

"Shit!" one of the boys cursed, peeking out from his hiding place. "Hey, you're not playing. You're gonna give us away so go away!" he said.

Merle smiled. "You ain't playin' fair, you can't all hide together like that. Why don't you spread out, or I'm gonna have to go give my lil' brother a hint and you don't want me to do that now, do ya?"

The boys looked at one another before the two brothers crept out and ran off, leaving Martin behind.

Merle waited until they were out of sight before he ducked down to the entrance.

"Hey, you're gonna give me away! You said you were gonna go!" Martin complained.

"Game's over," Merle said.


	2. Part One- Chapter Two

A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews from chapter one. Just remember that there's just one more chapter to part one. Then I'll wait for this season to end before I continue this. Thanks.

* * *

2.

Daryl wasn't sure what had happened.

One minute he'd be racing around trying to find Martin and the next thing he knew, someone had a hold of his arm and he was being dragged across the street.

Shirley was frantic, and some of the other neighbours were coming out to see what the commotion was about.  
Martin's Dad was the the man pulling him across to his house and he'd barely knocked on the door when Daryl's Daddy answered it.

He'd heard the commotion outside.

"Get your damn hands off my boy," he said as he grabbed Daryl's arm from the neighbouring man, pulling Daryl roughly into the house. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"

"What am I doing? What the hell's wrong with you and your damn kids? My boys been beaten black and blue by your kids. You think I'm not gonna call the cops on your dumbass white trash ass?"

Daryl was dragged away by his Mummy. "What the hell did you do?" she demanded.

"Nothing Mummy, I was playing!" Daryl pleaded.

"Don't lie to me boy, why would they lie? Hm?"

Daryl didn't know what to say. They weren't lying so he had to be? He couldn't say anything without upsetting her more.

"Get out of my sight!" She shouted and he rushed off to his room.

The rest of that night was a blur. He stayed in his room all night and listened to the ensuing arguments. The neighbours didn't call the police but there was a lot of shouting. Doors slammed. When the arguing with the neighbours stopped, it started again downstairs. He could hear his parents rip into one another. Mummy cried and Daddy shouted. When Merle came home the shouting and crying increased. Something got broken and he heard Merle stomping upstairs. He crept to the door and peeked out and saw Merle, fists bloody disappear into his bedroom, door slamming shut.

He wished the shouting would stop but it didn't seem to go away. Not until another door slammed as someone left and then he heard his Mummy crying as she went to her own room.

Daryl wondered if Merle would let him sleep in his room, just for the night. He crept across the hallway, dragging his duvet with him and opened Merle's door a little bit.

"Merle?" he whispered.

"What?" Merle replied.

"Can I sleep in here with you tonight?"

Merle huffed a sigh, loud and exaggerated but he relented. "Fine."

Daryl climbed onto the bed and over Merle so he was pressed against the wall. He pulled the covers over with him and tried to make sure he wasn't too close to Merle. He didn't want to annoy him.

When the silence between them settled for long enough, Daryl dared to speak.

"What happened?"

"You don't wanna know," Merle said, gruffly, cutting off the conversation before it happened.

"Yeah I do," Daryl insisted.

Merle flicked the lamp on by his bed and looked at Daryl.  
Daryl had no idea.  
He was just a kid and the minute Merle told him the truth, Daryl wouldn't be that sweet innocent kid any more. And he wasn't ready, Merle wasn't ready. He couldn't let Daryl go just yet.

He could spare the kid one more night. One more night where he was just a kid. A confused kid but his innocence was still intact and he thought everything would be okay. Somehow.

Merle flicked the light off. "It'll wait 'til mornin'."


	3. Part One- Chapter Three

3.

* * *

When Daryl woke up the next morning, Merle wasn't in bed.

He was stood messing around by the closet. "Whatcha doin'?" Daryl asked.

"'Bout time you learnt some things, boy. Life. I'm taking you out to the woods today." Merle said, closing the wardrobe as he threw his clothes on the bed.

And that's what they did. Merle got Daryl to sneak into the kitchen and get some food for the trip and they headed out. Daryl had no idea of why Merle was doing this. The truth was, Merle knew he'd have hell to pay today and he was delaying the inevitable.

But for now, it worked. And Daryl needed to know some things. So he took him deep into the woods and he showed him tracks from some animals, taught him the key to tracking animals and with Merle leading the way, they caught sight of a doe. Daryl was enthralled by it, Merle was pleased he was able to share this moment with Daryl.  
Then the light started to fade and Daryl started talking about heading home. Merle could tell he was getting nervous being out so late and he knew the reason he bought him out was to tell Daryl the truth about life and all he'd done was show him how to track.  
Useful, but not what he'd set out to do.

So Merle ignored Daryl's pleas to head home, he started a fire by a fallen tree and he sat Daryl down next to him. Ready to let Daryl's innocence go.

"Need to tell ya about last night, what happened out there." Merle started.

Daryl looked at him a little confused. Of course he hadn't thought there was anything else to this story. "Whattya mean, Merle?"

"Those dumb kids you were playing with... they weren't ya friends, Daryl. They were out there, laughing behind your back, calling _us _names. Was their Momma that made 'em play with us and they didn't wanna. They ain't like us, Daryl, and they never will be. Ya can't trust other people, not like ya can trust me. You know ya can trust me, right?"

Daryl didn't hesitate in nodding back.

"Don't think you noticed but things ain't so great at home right now."

"It'll get better though, right?"

"Jus' start looking after yourself, right? Use that damn head of yours once in a while."

"I will." Daryl promised.

"Tomorrow, go to my closet. There's something in there for ya. But not 'til tomorrow, okay?"

Daryl nodded.

"Ain't nobody gonna look after you like me, baby brother. Ain't nobody that ever will."

* * *

It was dark by the time Merle got Daryl home.

Daryl was sent straight up to bed and he spent another night laying in bed listening to people downstairs yell.

He didn't hear Merle come upstairs, fell asleep long before that.

He went downstairs for breakfast and his Mummy told him, Merle was gone. He'd be staying his Uncle Hank until things settled down. Daryl tried to ask why and how long it would be before Merle was back but Mummy shushed him and wouldn't talk about it any more.

It was the weekend so there was no school and after breakfast Daryl went to Merle's room, just in case his Mummy lied to him. But the room was a mess, and he could see that things had been packed in a hurry, drawers left open, half the contents gone.

His only friend here had been a fake and now he'd lost his brother. He sat on Merle's bed, wondering what he could do now. He'd been playing with Martin all the time, and if he'd been home, he'd be bugging Merle most of the time.

Then he remembered Merle's words. Something in his closet.

He made his way over to the closet and opened the door.

Not sure what he was looking for, Daryl moved some of Merle's clothes aside until he saw a little package with some newspaper wrapped around it. Daryl took hold of it and sat on the floor, opening it carefully. The book that fell out was a Guide to Animal Tracking. Daryl held it out in front of him before quickly turning the pages.

It was clear the book was old and maybe it had belonged to Merle, or he'd got it from someone else.

He lay on the floor in Merle's room, pouring through the book, mostly looking at the pictures, but reading some of the text too, to explain some of the things he wasn't sure of.

He recognised a few bits from the day before, being out with Merle. When he reached the end, he got up and raced downstairs, asked his mummy if he could go out to the woods.

She was sat on the couch, a glazed look on her face as she nodded, pouring herself a glass of wine as he raced outside. She didn't call out a curfew for him to come back by but he got back before it was dark. Was home in time for dinner.

He wanted to tell his Mummy and Daddy about being in the woods, but he thought about Merle again. '_Don't think you noticed but things ain't so great at home right now'_, is what he'd told Daryl. So Daryl kept his mouth shut and didn't say anything. He used what he learnt in the woods about being quiet and looking for signs as he ate his food.

Mummy was still sipping on the wine and eating slowly. Her actions were robotic, no thought in them, she was just doing it out of need not desire. She'd been like this since Grandpa died and he wondered if she might feel better soon. He didn't know how long people felt sad after people died. Daddy was quiet but Daryl could feel something from him, the way he kept glaring at Mummy and he wasn't sure what it was but if Daddy glanced over at him, Daryl made sure he was looking away at anything else other than Daddy. Because he'd seen Daddy cross and he didn't like it when he got angry. So he did his best to make him happy.

So when Daddy asked Mummy to get him a beer and Mummy ignored him, Daryl shot up. "I'll get it, Daddy," he said and grabbed a bottle from the table taking it back quickly.

He'd tried to help. Didn't even know he'd done wrong until he felt the back of Daddy's hand across his face.

"You think I'm gonna drink it warm? From the fridge you dumb shit," he spat, shoving the bottle back at Daryl and waiting for Daryl to return with the right thing.

He tried not to let the tears fall but he couldn't help it. Daddy didn't see, didn't care, not once the cold beer was in his hands. And as soon as he'd done it, Daryl went upstairs away from them.

He slept in Merle's bed that night. Wishing his brother was back here with him.

Daddy had never hit him when Merle had been there.

Why would he start now Merle was gone?


	4. Part Two- Chapter One

**Part Two  
Come Out to Play**

* * *

Time moved on, things changed.

Daryl took to heart what Merle had told him that day they spent in the woods. And he saw the truth in it. Merle was the only one who cared about him.

Since they moved into the house, his Mum had spent more and more time staying in the house. She used to come and go freely before they moved here. Used to take Daryl and Merle out to play in the woods. Now she barely ventured out of the bedroom.

Daryl or Merle were sent to the shops and Mum would cook dinner but she mostly stayed upstairs. Stayed locked away, drinking and smoking. Hardly speaking, barely living.

Merle would spend more time at Uncle Hank's but Daryl was never allowed to go too. He had to stay home

And the longer Mum stayed locked away, the angrier Daddy got. He'd go out drinking now though. Go out all day, come home late into the night. Daryl would hear him stumbling up the stairs but it was okay, as long as he stayed out of his way, Daddy never bothered him.

And he'd lay in bed at night, hearing Daddy grunting in the bedroom, not understanding what they were doing.

When Merle next came home, he took Daryl into the woods again.

Daryl was excited to see Merle again. Didn't really notice the ways he'd already changed in the short time they'd been apart. To Daryl, he was just Merle. He'd take him however he came.

They had nothing with them when they went deep into the woods, so when Merle said they were staying out overnight, Daryl didn't quite believe Merle.

But Merle pushed on, deeper into the woods until Daryl didn't know where he was and couldn't hear anything but the sounds of the woods. And it was already getting dark and he expected Merle to lead him to some camp he'd set up, that had been there for a long time and that only he knew about but nothing came. He pushed on until he found a fallen tree and with a quick glance around Merle nodded. "This'll do," he told him.

And Daryl didn't know what it was Merle thought was right about this spot, but he didn't argue.

"Gonna show you how to be a man, baby brother." Merle proclaimed. And Daryl didn't know what that meant exactly. But he knew he wanted Merle to be proud of him and he'd do everything he could to show Merle he was a man, or at least on his way to being someone Merle would be proud of.

There was a fallen log and after Merle started a small camp fire, the brothers sat on it, and Merle regaled Daryl with stories from their Uncle's. Most of them were hugely exaggerated, hardly any truth to what actually happened, but it was something about Merle Daryl hadn't figured out yet. He still believed everything Merle told him.

And then Merle was finishing up his stories and looking down at Daryl as he stood over the fire, the flames flickered and cast a weird light over Merle. And Daryl looked to him with nothing but trust in his eyes. He still didn't know any better.

"Let's see if you're ready to be a man, little bro," Merle said. He pulled out a red rag from his back pocket and crouched down in front of Daryl. "Whatcha gotta do it spend the night out here on yer own. Blindfolded."

Daryl shook his head, "I don't wanna, Merle."

Merle let the hand holding the rag drop as he shook his head slightly. "Thought ya were ready. Okay, little bro, let's go home."

Daryl shook his head. Swallowed his fear down. "No... I'm ready."

"Ya sure?" Daryl nodded. "Okay then. "You ain't allowed to take off the blindfold, no matter what. And you gotta stay here until you start hearing them birds chirping in the mornin'. Then I can call you a man, baby brother."

Daryl nodded again and Merle smiled. "Good boy," then he tied the rag around Daryl eyes, tied it at the back, cutting out the light from the fire.

"I'll come getcha in the mornin', kay?"

"Okay," Daryl answered, a tremor in his voice.

Merle's hand briefly landed on Daryl's shoulder "I ain't gonna let nothin' happen to ya out here."And then he was gone.

And Daryl listened as he heard Merle's footsteps retreating somewhere else, leaving him a lone.

And then he spent hours out there alone. Merle leaving had been the only sound he was able to distinguish. After that he wasn't certain of what any of the sounds were, or who made them.

But he could hear things around him. Things moving in the undergrowth. Twigs snapping underfoot, and bushes rustling. And Daryl knew that something was out there, making the noises.

When something snapped right behind him, he startled and used both hands to clamp over his mouth. His heart hammered in his chest and he thought that he felt hot breath breathing on the back of his neck. And he repeated Merle's final words to him 'I ain't gonna let anything happen to you, I ain't gonna let anything happen to you..." he whispered it over and over again, like the words alone were enough to keep him safe.

And he didn't stop saying them until he calmed down and the sounds he heard were distant again. And now he felt like Merle was right beside him. Keeping him safe, watching over him.

He knew he could do this.

And before he knew it, he started to hear the birds chirping as the sun rose.

And eagerly, he pulled off the blindfold as he saw the sunlight starting to filter through the tree's in the distance.

With the removal of the blindfold came the reality of where he was. There was nothing scary out there. Nothing at all.

A familiar cackle of a laugh turned Daryl's head to the side, as he saw Merle sat beside him. "You did well, baby brother. Thought you might just about shit yer pants on your own all night, but ya did well."

And Daryl felt a little swell of pride as Merle's words registered. He was proud of him? But then the reality hit him. Merle had done the whole thing to scare him? It had been Merle he;d heard creeping around behind him, Merle who's breath he'd felt on the back of his neck.

And just as quickly as his pride had come, anger came and replaced it. "You were jus' tryin' to scare me this whole time!" he accused.

And Merle's mocking laugh didn't help. "Nah, told ya I was making a man outta ya."

"No you weren't! You were jus' trying to scare me, Merle!"

"Damn, bro, seems like I made a little pussy bitch outta ya rather than a man! You started ovulating yet?"

And Daryl didn't know what Merle's words meant, but he knew that Merle was insulting him. "Jus' leave me alone, Merle. I'm going home!"

"Yeah? Bet ya been liking it real nice with out ol' Merle there, huh? Any of ya even care that I'm not there?"

"I didn't send you away, Merle."

Merle stepped over to Daryl. "I weren't trying to scare ya, okay? I wanted ya to know that I'll always be watching out for ya. Even when you can't see me." Merle confessed. He realised that he must have frightened Daryl, and in all honesty, he had been trying too. At least until he heard Daryl repeating his own words back out into the darkness. Daryl really believed in him. Counted on him. And if that meant that once in a while Merle just had to let Daryl know that he could count on him, then he'd do it.

Besides, it was just the two of them out there. No one had to know the truth. No one besides Daryl.

"Best get ya back for breakfast. Someone might notice, otherwise," Merle said.

"Your still a jackass for trying to scare me Merle," Daryl said, as they set off back home.

"Yeah. You're still a pussy too."


End file.
